A new record low water level for Lake Michigan-Huron has been set for the
second consecutive month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is announcing.

According to a statement released on Tuesday by the Corps’ Great Lakes
Hydraulics and Hydrology Office, Detroit District, the new record low of
175.57 meters or 576.02 feet is not only the lowest January monthly average
water level ever recorded, but also the lowest monthly average ever recorded
for any month over the official period of record for Great Lakes water
levels, extending back to 1918.

The Corps issues water level forecasts for the Great Lakes in coordination
with Environment Canada, and through the use of water level data and
forecasting models developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and National
Ocean Service.

“The Corps’ latest forecasts indicate a strong likelihood for continued
record lows on Lake Michigan-Huron over the next several months,” the
statement said. “Water levels on the remaining Great Lakes are expected to
remain below their respective long-term average water levels, but above
record lows.”

“Not only have water levels on Michigan-Huron broken records the past two
months, but they have been very near record lows for the last several months
before then,” said John Allis, chief of the Great Lakes Hydraulics and
Hydrology Office. “Lake Michigan-Huron’s water levels have also been below
average for the past 14 years, which is the longest period of sustained
below average levels since 1918 for that lake.”

The current record low water levels on Lake Michigan-Huron are the result of
lower than average snowfall during the winter of 2011-12, coupled with the
very hot and dry summer. Together these conditions led to only a four-inch
seasonal rise of Lake Michigan-Huron in 2012, compared to an average rise of
12 inches, the statement said. In addition, evaporation was significantly
above average during the summer and fall months and contributed to a very
rapid seasonal decline.

“Above average precipitation and snow cover coupled with below average
evaporation this winter are needed to raise Lake Michigan-Huron water levels
above record lows,” the statement concluded. “However, it would take similar
conditions over many seasons for levels to rise to near average levels.”